This invention relates to an improved throwing apparatus and method for throwing objects.
In particular, this invention relates to an improved throwing apparatus and method for throwing balls.
Both manual and automatically driven throwing devices have been known in the art for quite some time. In particular, in the field of throwing balls, and more particularly baseballs, a wide variety and assortment of devices are known. Electrical devices are known that shoot balls between wheels at a batter. The problem with these electrical throwing devices is that they impart unnatural spin to the ball and are erratic and difficult to adjust. Also, they are expensive and difficult to use in a real baseball setting since there are no electrical outlets at the pitcher's mound in a typical baseball field.
Manual devices are known which remove the necessity for providing electricity to the pitcher's mound. Nonetheless, none of the prior art devices known in the art are simple to use, compact in form, and do not obstruct a lot of the baseball playing field when set up. An example of such manual devices are applicants' prior inventions disclosed in Powell et al. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,860,717 and 4,844,045. These patents disclose a mechanical ball throwing device designed to be operated remotely at the batter's box by the batter or a coach standing behind the batter. These devices require the use of an arm positioning means, a long cord, to draw the throwing arm back into throwing position. The set up of these inventions a pegboard to be inserted in front of the batter across the batting plate, or in front or behind it, and the throwing machine to be manipulated at the pitcher's mound until some desired location of the throwing arm and attached "hand" is achieved. By these methods of moving the pegboard and the machine, the device can "adjust" the pitch as desired. Further, the hand portion for holding the ball is comprised of a pair of spaced, substantially parallel, members for releasably supporting the ball to be thrown. These spaced members are essentially round aluminum tubes spaced apart so that the ball fits in the space between them. In addition to the fact that these prior art inventions obstruct a large amount of the playing surface with lines, boards and the like and were not easily adjustable, the hand of the prior art inventions would often spread apart during the throwing motion and inadvertently grip the ball and would impart unpredictable spin and motion to the ball. Additionally, the parallel tubes were incapable of holding a variety of sizes of balls, from baseballs to softballs, without totally restructuring or rebuilding the hand to accommodate a particular ball size. Still further, these prior art inventions required a shock absorber to stop the arm in the forward position after the ball had been thrown.
Thus, there is a need in the art for providing a throwing apparatus and method that is non-electric, portable, compact, easily adjustable and capable of accurately throwing a variety of balls simply and inexpensively. It, therefore, is an object of this invention to provide an improved throwing apparatus and method for throwing objects, such as baseballs, which is capable of throwing a variety of sizes of balls accurately, and which can easily adjust the location of the ball as it crosses the plate.